Russian Gun Dogs

Russian Gun Dogs are a “slightly dark wave, post punk, soul washed rock” four-piece from the city of Coventry, in the UK.

After impressing audiences in the tents of Coventry’s prestigious Godiva Festival in the summer of 2011, the band have had a successful year playing alongside bands such as The Pigeon Detectives, One Night Only and Ash.

Warren Manger, of Coventry Telegraph’s Music Abyss, described the band as “Darkwave indie rock laced with driving guitar melodies, bearing a similar resemblance to Editors.”

Three of RGD’s tracks, Life on Show, Let you Go, and Attack, contain a calm techno-synth organ intro at the beginning of them, and then burst into life a few seconds into each song. The band have a similar sound to White Lies and fellow Coventry band, The Enemy. Their songs’ moods vary from the energetic Dresden and 2 to Tango, to their mellow and romantic Life on Show and Let You Go, the lyrics of which include “I’ve been thinking; have you been thinking, about the way we are, the way we were. I don’t think so, I don’t want to let you go… I’ve been seeing other people in my dreams…”

Coincidentally, even some of the songs titles have reference to the band’s hometown. For example, the songs Dresden, Surrender and Attack, all have connotations which are linked to the Coventry Blitz in 1940. Dresden is now a twin city of Coventry, and the lyrics could be parallel to the fact that even though the British dropped bombs on the German city after the Coventry Blitz, after the war volunteers from Dresden came to Coventry to help build the new Cathedral, second to the the love story that the lyrics are trying to portray; “I’ll go wherever, I’ll go wherever you will go, just to follow you. Don’t give me something I didn’t ask for, don’t give me something I didn’t ask you for…”

Although the songs have no direct messages involved with the second world war and the Blitz, and that it is probably just coincidence, the titles still seem to give the band a sense of belonging in their hometown, and reminds them of their roots of where they’re from.

Russian Gun Dogs are regularly performers at Taylor John’s House at the Canal Basin in Coventry. Their next gigs will be at The Rainbow in Birmingham on August 17th, and then on September 14th at The Kasbah in Coventry.

Of their performances, Trinity Mirror’s music reporter Esh Capelo says, “Powerful lyrics animated gig-goers and brought an amazing ardour to the venue. These Coventrians don’t want to be like everybody else. I hope these alternative rockers are here for the duration.”

For more information about Russian Gun Dogs and their, upcoming gigs, visit their website and Facebook page.